Year 11
Issue 4
Falgun, 2074
January-February 2018
Meeting with Rt. Honorable Prime Minister Mr. Sher Bahadur Deuba
Newsletter
Pages 4
Message The completion of centre, state and local elections, establishment of a new government and formalization of various ministries and leadership positions signals a new period of stability in Nepal’s politics. CNI remains optimistic that in line with the wishes of the people, the government will work actively towards promoting an enabling environment for industry and commerce to flourish. While there has been improvement in some areas most notably in the energy sector, Nepal’s economy remains plagued by lack of capital, employment opportunities and a widening trade deficit to name a few. In order for these problems to be tackled, economic restructuring is necessary by taking the private sector and it’s institutions into confidence.
A
delegation of CNI, headed by President Mr. Hari Bhakta Sharma met the Rt. Honorable Prime Minister of Nepal Mr. Sher Bahadur Deuba on 2ndJanurary, 2018 to discuss about the problem of liquidity crunch and its effect on Nepalese economy. The president of CNI urged the Prime Minister to take needful initiative to resolve the problem of liquidity in the banking system. If not resolved,
this will increase the interest rate and eventually soar up the cost of doing business making Nepal unable to compete with the neighboring countries in production of goods and services. In response Prime Minister said that he would discuss the issue with the concerned authorities and come up with the solution to solve the shortage of lendable fund seen in the banking industry.
CNI Delegation congratulates Mr. Pushpa Kamal Dahal (Prachanda)
We have recently formulated and submitted to the new government a ‘Roadmap for Economic Prosperity ’ which highlights challenges to Nepal’s economic transformation and recommendations for mobilizing resources to overcome these challenges. This document is reflective of the vision and ambitions of Nepal’s private sector and should provide valuable input to the government in formulating and implementing itsplans and vision for the economy. Elsewhere, we continue to meet with ambassadors and representatives of various countries to explore economic relations and strengthen cross country ties even as we seek to continuously engage with government ministries and agencies at home. As always, CNI, as a private sector representative body remains committed to collaborating with the new government to complement its efforts and playing our part in the economic transformation of our country. Director General
INSIDE
on Occupational 2 Workshop Safety and Health (OSH) CNI organized a courtesy call on 8th January, 2018 to congratulate Former Prime Minister and Chairman of CPN Maoist, Hon’ble Mr. Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Prachanda on his victory in the recently concluded election. A delegation of CNI led by President Mr. Hari Bhakta Sharma visited Mr. Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Prachanda at latter’s party office in Koteshwor.
CNI requested Mr. Dahal for industry friendly policies and regulations for increasing industrial investment. In response, Mr. Dahal highlighted the problem of lack of capital formation in the country and flow of investment into unproductive sectors. He assured CNI that a close relationship would be established with the private sector for business and industry promotion and generation of employment opportunities in the country.
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CNI welcomes new Vice President and National Council Members
Team meets 4 CNI Baroness Verma
MONITOR
January-February 2018
CNI Activities
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Workshop on Occupational Safety and Health (OSH)
CNI organized a workshop on Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) as part of it’s commitments under the Advocacy for Rights and Good Corporate Governance Project. The two-day workshop was
organized in Ilam on 3rd and 4th February, 2018 and was conducted by Mr Dinesh Sah, OSH Expert. The workshop raised awareness on working environment including the use of Personal Protective
Equipment and best practices that can be adopted to ensure safety of employees in the workplace. The participants were also briefed and sensitized to the OSH provisions in the newly promulgated Labour Act of 2017.
Discussion on Prosperity Agenda
An interaction program was organized by CNI along with members of the Think Tank to gather suggestions and facilitate discussions and dialogueon the ‘Roadmap to Economic Prosperity’ being developed by CNI. The document will aim to capture the vision and ambition
President Emeritus takes Oath of Office
of the private sector as Nepal embarks on a new era of development. It will be presented to the new government and signifies CNI’s commitment to partner with the government and complement their efforts in the economic development of Nepal.
MoU with Pravat Media CNI signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Pravat Media and Publication Pvt .Ltd. to extend cooperation with respect to television program “Udhyami Sambad” which is being broadcast on Avenues TV and various regional television channels.
CNI family is proud to congratulate President Emeritus, Binod Chaudhary for taking oath of office as a member of House of Representatives. We believe that his knowledge, experience and world view will greatly benefit our nation as we look forward to a new era of economic development.
MONITOR
Economy
January-February 2018
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CNI welcomes new Vice President and National Council Members Mr Sulav Agrawal has been appointed as a Vice President of CNI in line with the decision taken by the Governing Council and National Council of CNI. In addition to his appointment, CNI also welcomed the following newly appointed members of the National Council. Ms. Chaya Sharma Mr. Ravindra Bhakta Shrestha Ms Rita Bhandary Mr. Rishi Ghimire Mr. Ashish Garg Mr. Sharad Tibrewala Mr. HemantaGolchha Mr. Shishir Bhatta Mr. Manish Khemka Mr. Sudhir Mittal
CNI nominates Coordinators for seven provinces CNI has initiated the process of establishing Confederations in all seven provinces in view of the new federal setup. To this effect, seven active members of CNI have been nominated as the Coordinators of the respective provinces as follows:
Provinces
Coordinators
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Min Prakash Mainali (Jhapa)
2
Naresh Das (Janakpur)
3
Rishi Ghimire (Hetauda)
4
Binod Neupane (Pokhara)
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AjazAlam (Butwal)
6
Tek Bahadur Bhandari (Surkhet)
7
Hem Bikram Thapa (Kanchanpur)
Meeting with Labor and Employment Minister A delegation of CNI, headed by President Mr. Hari Bhakta Sharma, held a meeting with the Labor and Employment Minister, Mr. Farmulha Mansur on 3rd January, 2018 to present the suggestions to be included in upcoming Labor Regulations. With the hope that Government would bring Labor Regulations without any delay, Mr. Sharma urged the Labor and Employment Minister to include the practical provisions regarding good labor relations, international values and recognition. On behalf of the employer, CNI urged the Minister that there should not be any negative flow to Employment
provident fund, subsidy, treatment and insurance, transfer of money regarding social security fund, and industry business. CNI also emphasized that the distribution of industrial service fees should be in accordance with the agreement made between the concerned bodies in the past. In response, the Labor and Employment Minister thanked CNI for its policy level suggestions and assured that the government will publicize the labor regulations after the detailed discussion with the employers by incorporating their suggestions.
MONITOR
International
January-February 2018
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CNI Team meets Baroness Verma
CNI officials welcomed Baroness Verma, a member of the House of Lords of the United Kingdom on 30th December, 2017. As the UK is one of Nepal’s most valuable trading partners,
Meeting with Secretary of Ministry of Finance A delegation of CNI, headed by President Mr. Hari Bhakta Sharma met the Finance Secretary Mr. Shankar Prasad Adhikari and Revenue Secretary Mr. Shishir Dhungana on 8th Janurary, 2018. CNI delegation urged the secretaries to make the necessary arrangements for getting 20% tax exemption on the income generated from the investment in productive sectors by the industry which is according to the Industrial Business Act, 2073. In addition to this, CNI requested the Secretaries to make necessary arrangements for submitting the files manually till the decisions regarding e-filing is made and approved. Iwn response, both finance and revenue secretaries assured CNI to make the necessary arragements.
the team and Baroness Verma discussed the potential for further expanding economic and trade relations between the two countries. The discussion also touched upon the UK’s
historical long-term support to Nepal and the possibility of exporting specific products to the UK including tea, coffee, pashmina and handicrafts among others.
Information Dissemination on
‘Code of Conduct and Guidelines’
CNI has been working with International Labour Organization (ILO) towards promoting responsible business in the four value chains of ginger, tea, cardamom and milk. In order to achieve this objective, CNI has developed a Code of Conduct and Guidelines in both English and Nepali to encourage the adoption of responsible business practices at enterprise level. An Information Dissemination Program on Code of
Conduct and Guidelines was held at Hotel Himalaya on January 22, 2018. The program saw participation from value chain actors of the seven districts of Ilam, Panchthar, Taplejung, Sankhuwasabha, Bhojpur, Dhankuta and Terhathum. Mr Yagyaman Shakya, Consultant for CNI sensitized the participants on the need for responsible business practices including workers rights and good corporate governance.
Published by: Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI), Trade Tower, 5th Floor, Thapathali, Kathmandu Phone:+977-1-5111122, 5111123 Fax: +977-1-5111125, Post Box: 21056, Email: cni@cnind.org, Website: www.cnind.org, www.investnepal.gov.np